(Huntsville, AL) - In less than two weeks, the City of Huntsville will introduce new shuttle routes into its transit schedule to improve service and shorten travel times.

(Media-Newswire.com) - ( Huntsville, AL ) - In less than two weeks, the City of Huntsville will introduce new shuttle routes into its transit schedule to improve service and shorten travel times. All busses are affected, and citizens are invited to attend a public forum to learn more about the route changes on Friday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Shuttle Transfer Station, 500 Church Street.

“We want to do everything we can to encourage and assist citizens using public transportation,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “The new route schedule will help maximize the busses we have on the road without increasing operational expenses.”

The route changes stem from a transportation study conducted by Nelson/Nygaard, a Seattle-based consulting company. The study essentially recommended that all routes terminate simultaneously at the downtown Shuttle Transfer Station before continuing on to a new location. This simple adjustment will allow riders to quickly board another bus to their final destination.

To accommodate the increased number of busses arriving at the transfer station, the City of Huntsville is undergoing $52,000 in modifications.

“Ridership is already up by more than 25 percent over last year, and we are averaging more than 2,000 passengers per day,” said Tommy Brown, Director of Parking and Public Transit. “These changes should help us be more responsive to our riders needs.”

The series of route changes also include:

Eliminating less traveled lines with low ridership Adding a second bus to the southwest Huntsville and University Drive/Madison Square Mall routesM Increased hours – some routes will start as early as 5 a.m. and run until 7 p.m. The Public is invited to learn more about the changes at Friday’s public forum. To view a map of the new routes, visit http://www.huntsvilleal.gov/PublicTran/SystemMapProposedFinalOct2011.pdf

This story was released on 2012-11-12. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.